Review: Sand & Sky Brilliant Skin Purifying Pink Clay Mask

Let me be honest about something. I’m a sucker for good marketing. I’ll be happily scrolling through my Instagram feed as I wind down before bed, then BOOM. There it is. An ad pulling me in with it’s pretty pictures and snappy caption. I can’t resist having a little nose and before I know it, I’m researching why I shouldn’t buy this life changing product I’ve never heard of before.

It happened last weekend. Just as I was nodding off (yes I know, we’ll talk about my bad habit for using my phone before bed another time), I saw an ad for the Sand & Sky Brilliant Skin Purifying Pink Clay Mask. It was a clever ad. It’s summer, and my T-Zone is so oily that I look like dipped my nose into a block of butter, so I’ve been thinking about how I can possibly control the situation. It’s like they knew what I was thinking. It was fate. I had to click it and see what it was all about.

On the website, there were bold claims about a new wonder ingredient that would change my life; Pure Australian Pink Clay. I fell hook, line & sinker for everything they told me online and after extensive Googling for reviews, I bit the bullet and ordered a jar.

THE CLAIMS

4-in-1 treatment

Detoxifies & Brightens in just 10 minutes

Shrinks pores and boosts radiance

Protects against damage caused by pollution

No nasties, not tested on animals

I told you didn’t I? Bold claims.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

The mask contains Pure Australian Pink Clay, the wonder ingredient supposedly responsible for all the purifying and detoxifying action. It claims to rid your skin of all impurities, leaving it clear, refined and significantly brighter. It absorbs dirt & grime, draws out toxins and closes up your pores to prevent anything nasty getting back in. Sounds like a dream!

For drier skin types, they recommend you use it 1-2 times a week and for oilier skin types, 2-3 times a week.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

For £39.90 you get 58ml of product. It comes in a beautiful glass jar, and they include a small brush in the box to apply the mask with. Handy if you’re not keen on dipping your fingers into the jar and getting the mask behind your fingernails!

Worldwide delivery is free, and it takes 6-10 business days to arrive. Mine arrived in 5 days, so I was impressed.

In terms of value for money, you don’t get a huge amount of product, especially if you’re using it the recommended 2-3 times per week!

SO, DOES IT WORK?

I admit I couldn’t wait to try it, so washed my face and put a light layer onto my T-Zone. I didn’t want to put it all over my face as the instructions say to patch test on the inside of your elbow 48 hours before using it on your face. I’m impatient, and know my skin well enough to be confident that I wouldn’t react, but I decided just to test it in my oiliest areas first just in case the more normal areas of my cheeks has a reaction.

The mask has a slight smell to it – nothing unpleasant and it’s very subtle. It’s a soft, lavender pink colour and is very thick. It goes on nicely with the brush and starts to dry pretty quickly. Once completely dry, after about 10 minutes, it’s completely white and you do look a little terrifying!

The instructions say to rinse it off with warm water so I just splashed some on my face and rubbed it off with my fingertips. It came off really easily and I didn’t have to scrub at it to remove it at all, which would be good for those of you with sensitive skin.

After patting my skin dry, I noticed that it had definitely improved my skin’s appearance. It was brighter and some of the pores on my cheeks were a bit smaller. My skin felt smooth and I didn’t have any reactions to the mask at all.

I have to admit, I was a little disappointed though. The results weren’t as dramatic as I had hoped so I went to bed wondering why I wasn’t seeing the poreless, flawless skin I’d seen online.

I decided to try the mask again the morning after, but this time I exfoliated first instead of just cleansing, and I applied the mask in a thicker layer all over my face instead of just in the centre. Rather than the recommended 10 minutes, I left the mask on for about 30 minutes to really give it a chance to work and when washing it off, I used a Liz Earle sponge which I usually use to remove the Liz Earle Deep Cleansing Mask.

Second time around, I’m much happier with the results. My skin is much brighter, much smoother and my pores are visibly smaller.

THE CONCLUSION

With just one use, the mask gave me some visible results, but I didn’t feel as though it lived up to the hype I’d seen online. After the second application, I was much happier with the results and can see with regular use, that this mask could improve pore size over time. If you’re looking for a one off quick fix, this mask gets you part way there and with the right pore minimizing primer, you’d be happy enough with the results.

HAVE YOU TRIED THE SAND & SKY BRILLIANT SKIN MASK? What did you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

To be honest I absolutely love this mask. I received a sample with a purchase at HN so I had not heard of the brand before, but one night I decided to give it a try without any expectations. Most masks do not do anything or at least not much for me anyway. Since that night I have been using the mask around once per week and I am happy with the results. The pores are visibly smaller especially around the nose area and my foundation looks much better on my bumpy skin.